As new implantable devices continue to shrink, the race is on for similarly-sized reliable power sources. Current state-of-the art implantables often depend on chunky batteries that suffer from limited lifetimes, with a typical pacemaker battery lasting around eight years. While some techniques have successfully harvested power from biological processes such as heart beats or from body heat, most devices require significantly more energy. A report on work pioneered by scientists at the National University of Singapore describes a newly designed device that allows for wireless transmission of power into the body, demonstrating this technology’s potential by powering a miniature cardiac pacemaker implanted in a pig model.
